Content programmer control of video and data display using associated data

A method for providing a video display image, comprising the steps of:

• receiving a video data stream and an associated data stream corresponding to the video data stream, the video data stream and the associated data stream each comprising a series of digital communication packets, each digital communication packet having an identifier that indicates the video data stream or the associated data stream, the video data stream being received during a series of scan intervals of a video frame and the associated data stream being received during a vertical blanking interval of the video frame;
• and
• displaying a video image defined by the video data stream on a display device and performing an interactive command function specified by the associated data stream, the interactive command function comprising a command that specifies a set of parameters used for configuring a video display window that contains the video image.